Friday, 31 July 2015

Hello and happy Friday, the weekend is upon us! I hope you have some wonderful plans for it, whether that is going partying with your friends, or curling up with a good book and copious cups of tea.

There have been some truly fabulous ladies over on my sidebar this month, so I wanted to share a few sentences about each of them and why I think they're really great. I do hope you'll pop over and say hello, that would make my whole month!

ChrissyLilly// Feels Like Home
Chrissy very kindly answered a bunch of questions for me here, so I hope you got to know her a little better through that if you read it (and if you haven't, please do!). Chrissy's blog feels very personal and like it's a very true reflection of who she is as a person in real life. She shares stories from her Canadian adventures, her health & fitness journey, and everything in between.

Loved by Laura// Rainy Sunday Recipes
This is the second month Laura has been over in my sidebar and it's been an absolute pleasure. Laura's space this month has been almost solely dedicated to sharing adventures, she went on a beautiful looking picnic and to London Film & Comic Con, alongside a yummy looking scone recipe and tips on how to make the most out of pinterest. It looks like July was a fun month for Laura and it was super lovely tagging along with her through pictures!

Emilia Leigh// A Month in 10 Stories
Emilia Leigh is a writer, a very good one! My favourite posts to read are from her Month in 10 Stories series, where she does as the title suggests and encapsulates her month into 10 stories that sum it up perfectly. There's a reason why they're so much fun to read and it's because she has a way of making you feel as though you were right there alongside her the whole time.

Blogging for Sanity// Switching Off The Screens
Isabel is wonderful and I'm so pleased to have been able to get to know her a little over the past few months. She is quite a private person, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have anything to say. I absolutely love that she has found an outlet and way of writing that allows her to share her thoughts and opinions without feeling like she's putting too much of herself out there. Writing exactly what she wants, when she wants, Isabel's space is one I will continue to enjoy stopping by for as long as she keeps writing!

Laugh with me LeLe// Things I Love: Analogue Photography
Leah is a very talented photographer, especially with film, and she has wonderful collection of cameras. Along with sharing her beautiful photographs, she also shares outfits of the day, the things she's loving and the adventures she goes on. She recently went to see Modest Mouse and it looks like it was the most brilliant night, I wish I'd been able to go too! She also knows almost the whole script of Titanic and is a total potterhead, so I'm fairly sure we're bffs already!

Wednesday, 29 July 2015

End of July already, say whaaa?! Can time slow down already, please? I need to sort my life out by the end of the year and I'm nowhere close right now. But to put that off a little longer, here are some of my favourite beauty products from July...

Messy hair is my go-to style. As much as I would like to be a woman with perfectly groomed locks, I neither have the patience nor the skills to achieve that. I chopped a couple of inches off last week so I can reach for texturising sprays again and end up with a casually undone style, without ending up looking like I've been dragged through a hedge backwards. Lovely!

If you know me, you'll know that moisturising lip products are my favourite. I rarely wear lipstick, but I'm all about those balms and this one is lovely. It smells like raspberries - brilliant! It's hydrating - yay! And it gives just the right amount of colour - perfect!

* * *

- Kiko Cream Foundation Compact* -

I believe this was from a limited edition collection, but it's not necessarily this particular product that I'm enjoying, it's more the colour. Being essentially transparent this doesn't match me as a foundation, but I've been using it as a cream bronzer before I apply my tinted moisturiser. The result is a really natural glowy-bronze look, and not a trace of oompa loompa orange in sight.

This was in my favourites last month too, I just blooming love it! It's my favourite mascara and if they stop making it I'm not sure what I'll do. It volumises, lengthens and holds a curl all day. What more could I ask for?!

Oh my goodness this stuff smells incredible! Super fruity, it's the perfect morning time shower gel that uplifts and helps to wake me up, which is always appreciated because I'm not a morning person. If you happen to be in an Asda anytime soon, give this a sniff!

When the weather is chilly, I always reach for my tub of The Righteous Butter. It's a little treat for my skin, wonderfully moisturising and beautifully scented, so I've sort of been happy that it's been raining in July. Well, almost.

Tuesday, 28 July 2015

Fellow book worms, I'm finally reading my first Atwood novel. I know, right? How did I make it this far in life without reading any Atwood?

I was scouring the book section in a local charity shop for familiar authors and came across this. Stumbling across old and clearly well-read books is one of my little joys in life. I find myself wondering who has sat and read these same pages before me? I wonder it they liked it? Hated it? Did they go into work the next morning and press it into the hands of a friend hastily saying 'you must read this, I think you'll adore it'?

"Marian is determinedly ordinary, waiting to get married. She lays her head gently
on the shoulder of her serious fiancee and quietly awaits marriage. But
she didn't count on an inner rebellion that would rock her stable
routine, and her digestion. Marriage a la mode, Marian discovers, is
something she literally can't stomach ... The Edible Woman is a funny,
engaging novel about emotional cannibalism, men and women, and desire to
be consumed."

I'm currently around half way through and although it's under 300 pages, I'm finding it's one I have to read in short bursts. A couple of chapters in I wasn't sure if I was going to make it all the way through but it seems to have a way of drawing me in, almost like it has grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me closer. It's actually been a bit of a strange experience - strange in a good way though.

Monday, 27 July 2015

I'm still attempting to declutter my life, but that doesn't mean I still can't peruse websites though, right? Putting things in a wishlist very often gets the urge to actually buy out of my system too, so here I am with a few things I definitely don't need, but would really quite like.

The Harry Potter Funko Pop collection has already proved to be too much for me to resist because I may or may not have pre-ordered Dumbledore. He's the cutest one in the collection, I think, and I had to get one. I just had to. Rockett St George is still one of my favourite home ware shops and their fabulous flamingo and beautiful dream catcher are my favourites in their collection at the moment.

Entirely unnecessary but very beautiful brass pencil? On the wishlist. Super cute cushion cover with a bunny on it? Also on the wishlist. Along with these white converse. I can't remember the last time I had a pair of converse. For the last few years I have been an expert in ridiculously uncomfortable and impractical shoes. This definitely needs to change!

The brownie crumbles didn't make it as far as being photographed. The box arrived at about 11am last Wednesday. I'd just made a cup of tea. I was a bit peckish. Eating them immediately seemed like the right thing to do. Little bites of crumbly biscuits that taste like a rich chocolate brownie. Perfect.

As for everything else, Nuts About Ella was my favourite. The combination tasted even better than a fruit & nut chocolate bar and I'm pretty fond of those. I was also pleasantly surprised by the chilli & lime pumpkin seeds; I'm not really a fan of spicy things but these weren't too overpowering. I would have liked to see a little more variety, there were a lot of nuts, but they kept me away from the ever-tempting biscuit tin. I'm hoping they'll be expanding their range a little more soon, especially because their competitors now have such extensive menus.

If you'd like to try a free box, pop the following code in at the EarlyBird checkout: bebop-5224

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